Isaiah ch.10

Father God, we thank you that this is the day that You have made and we shall be glad and rejoice in it in the name of Jesus. We thank you for this special time where we get to reflect on the coming of Jesus Christ into the world and what He did for us on the cross by dying for the sins of the world. Thank you Father for blessing us by sending us Your beloved Son. Today, just like every other day, may our hearts be open to receiving and growing in Your love for us that is found in Jesus Christ in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Today's lead Word is from Isaiah 10:4 NKJV

"Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, and they shall among the slain."

For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.

In chapter 10, we see the LORD pronouncing judgment on Assyria because of their arrogance and the oprression they have over His people. Isaiah 10:13 NKJV give us some context about the Assyrian pride and it reads, "For he says: by my strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudent; also I have removed the boundaries of the people, and have robbed their treasuries; so I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man."

In this context, we see the wealth accumulated by the Assyrians was not aligned to God's heart. Rather, they attributed success to their wisdom and prudence. Proverbs 6:17 tells us that the LORD hates "a proud look, a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood."

Furthermore, Isaiah 10:1-2 NKJV also shows us the things the LORD hates, "Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who write misfortune, which they have prescribed and to rob the needy of justice and to take what is right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless." Isaiah chapter 10:3 portrays that indeed judgment will come upon all who do these things and none will escape punishment for God has no favorites.

At the same time, it is important to note that God's heart is and will never be to destroy. John 10:10 tells us that the thief came to steal, to kill and to destroy but Jesus Christ came so that we could have a life and have it in abundance. The thief in this instance is satan. Fortunately, God's plan is for all to be saved from sin introduced by satan and His wrath of judgment on all ungodliness. In today's lead Scripture above, we see the expression of God's heart. On the one hand, His heart is to bring punishment on all ungodliness and disobedience while on the other hand, the LORD desires that His people's hearts choose to turn to Him which is the reason His hand is still stretched out.

The Bible tells us that godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). The key word here is godly sorrow because there is an ungodly sorrow that has the potential to lead you further from God's heart of love as opposed to drawing closer to it.

Godly sorrow that leads to repentance simply means that when God chastises you for a wrong doing, it is not for the purposes of guilt tripping you, condemning you or inflicting shame on you but rather God's chastisement is for the purpose of correction, drawing you closer to Him, restoring and re aligning you into His righteousness that is found in Christ which in turn positions you to receive all the blessings that He has for you in Christ.

The righteousness found in Christ simply means that when God sees you, He sees Jesus and His finished work on the cross. So when you are born again and receive Jesus Christ as Your Lord and Saviour, you are covered in Christ and because Jesus got it right in God's eyes by His obedience unto death on the cross (Philippians 2:8), you have right standing with God. The right standing we have with God is not based on our actions but on what Jesus Christ has done for us. Because Christ got it right in God's eyes, you have also gotten it right in God's eyes as you are in Christ and He is in you when you become born again! - AMEN.

Isaiah 64:6 tells us that "...all of our righteousness is filthy rags..." and this is the reason we behold the righteousness of God only found in Christ Jesus and not our 'good behaviour' or 'right actions'. As you lean into the knowledge of what Christ did for you on the cross, this is what enables you to behold power and glory that makes us right with God by faith.

When you have this understanding, you will find it easy to turn back from every lie and distraction of the enemy that was taking you away from God's love for you.

Friend, God's heart will always be for us to turn from the deception we see around us in the world and give Him our hearts where He becomes everything to us thereby receiving redemption from all evil and judgment yet to befall the world.

The Psalmist in Psalm 23:1 NLT confessed, "The LORD is my Shepherd, I have all that I need."

I'll end with this Word found in 1 John 3:20-21 (NKJV)

"20.For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

21.Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God."

AMEN, thank you LORD.

Invitation to salvation: If you would like to get to know this ever faithful God, who wants you to be in personal relationship with Him through His Son, Immanuel - who blesses us with the gift of His righteousness where it is about what Christ did and not our wrong or right behaviour, I invite you to make this confession:

Please speak the words below:

"I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and with God as my loving Father today and forever." AMEN.

Congratulations, by grace you are saved and are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old life has passed away and you have received the free gift of salvation into your life (2 Corinthians 5:17) where you get to freely access everything I've shared in this post. To the glory of the Almighty God. Amen.

PS: In case you have not already, I encourage you to read Isaiah chapter 10.

Please find a church or in case you already have one, become a member and get water baptized! God bless you!